Through the device called a television set or TV, viewers are able to receive, view, and hear programs, such as news, sports, entertainment, information, and commercials. The development and popularization of the VCR (video cassette recorder) dramatically changed the way viewers use television because, for the first time, the VCR gave the viewers control of the time at which they could watch content on their TV sets. The VCR spawned the video rental and sales market, and today, VCRs are commonplace.
Now, a new innovation makes recording television programs even more convenient: the digital video recorder, or DVR. Although the digital video recorder performs much the same functions as a VCR, there are some important differences. First, a digital video recorder is tape-less and has no removable media. With a VCR, the device itself is merely a recording tool; the blank cassette is the removable media. In a digital video recorder, the media and tool are one and the same, which is advantageous because buying and cataloging tapes are unnecessary. Second, because the digital video recorder typically stores the audio and video content in digital form on a hard drive, which is a random access device, the digital video recorder can access or skip between a variety of locations within the content without needing to start at the beginning and perform a sequential search. Because of the popularity and convenience of the DVR, viewers are increasingly watching prerecorded programs instead of watching while the programs are received from the content provider, such as a broadcast television station, cable TV service, or satellite service.
One problem that viewers experience when watching prerecorded programs is programs that have been interrupted, so that the full content of the program is not recorded on the digital video recorder. Interruptions can happen for a number of reasons, but the primary reasons are the incoming transmission signal can be lost or degraded; the scheduled program can be interrupted by some other content, such as a special report or a severe weather warning; or the program might fail to start at the scheduled time because a preceding program (e.g., a sporting event whose length is not predetermined) ran long. Reasons for signal loss can include technical problems at the program provider, technical problems at the viewer's location, or transmission problems due to weather or damage. These interruptions disrupt the continuity of the recorded program and may delete climatic scenes and important information, which causes viewer disappointment.
Thus, what is needed is a better way to handle programs that have been interrupted.